What is the origin of the idiom “a slap on the wrist”?
I hope this helps: At least since the 18th century the word “slap” was used figuratively as well as literally. A certain action could be a “slap on the face” or a “slap in the eyes” to me or to someone else, that is, an attack or slur, a censure or reproof, either spoken or written. The Oxford English Dictionary gives examples from 1736 on. I like this one, by Edmund Burke, from his correspondence of 1791 (publ. 1844) III. 30: You see on what topics they chose to magnify him [Foxe] at York. It is a slap at me.” So a slap on the wrist is a reprimand or reproof, but a weak one. From the OED: “1914 Dialect Notes IV. 112 Slap on the wrist, mild rebuke or criticism.” Depending on one’s point of view, it can mean a useless attempt to punish or deter, or a welcome absence of more painful punishment. A slap can be literally administered on the wrist, rather than on the face, let alone the eyes, as when you find an offending hand in the cookie jar–although I suppose cookie jars are more of an
